


Out of His Depth, Over His Head

by twodollarbill



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ..no actual puppies.., Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Byun Baekhyun is a Hurt Puppy, Byun Baekhyun is a Low-key Nudist, Fantastic Racism, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Magical Creatures, Merperson Byun Baekhyun, Nudity, Park Chanyeol is a Confused Puppy, Puppy Love, Romance, Sailor Park Chanyeol, Torture, Vampires, Werewolves, just kidding, mermaid, scales - Freeform, seriously tho...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-03 19:02:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14575569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twodollarbill/pseuds/twodollarbill
Summary: After falling overboard a fishing vessel during a storm, Park Chanyeol found himself pulled under the waves by a mysterious force. Staring up at the moon, he believed these were his last moments. Little did he know, he was about to be pulled into a world of creatures he thought were myths only believed in by the most superstitious of sailors.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fic on this site!
> 
> I originally wrote the first several chapters of this story on a different site a few years ago but gave up on it due to some life issues. It was, however, one of my favorites so I have returned to it to rewrite it and hopefully make it better. PLEASE HEED THE TAGS. There will be semi-graphic torture and non-con elements though no actual rape. The hatred and mistreatment of different races and species will also play a large part. If you are sensitive to any of these elements please do not read.
> 
> New chapters will be posted as I finish rewriting/editing/writing them. They will each be around 2k words so as to not keep readers waiting for updates. I will try to adhere to a weekly updating schedule but if life gets hectic, it will change to monthly.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

# Out of His Depth, Over His Head

* * *

### Prologue

 

It was a mistake. Chanyeol knew it was a mistake to set off into open waters that day. He had tried to tell the captain this. The blue morning skies were deceptive, a mere facade to lure unsuspecting fishermen into a sense of peace before mother nature would turn the seas violent and pull their ships to the depths of her great blue ocean. The man would not listen, boasting of his years of experience at sea and proclaiming that a mere deckhand wouldn’t be able to comprehend the complexities of nature. Pride cometh before a fall, Chanyeol’s mother would always say. Even as the dock disappeared into the horizon and the skies grew dark, the sea beginning to swell and churn, the captain was sitting proudly at the helm shouting over the howling winds that they were safe. It would be nothing but a sprinkle of rain. Soon enough, just as it had been predicted, they found themselves at the mercy of a violent storm.

 

Chanyeol stumbled as the ocean surged upward, tilting the fishing vessel at an angle. With an order from the captain, his fellow deckhands abandoned their work and scrambled to go below deck. 

 

“He’s insane!” Chanyeol shouted to no one in particular as a looming wave crashed onto the deck of the vessel, knocking over a cooler of fish and spilling it’s contents across the floor. A young man he recognized as the first mate rushed toward him with panicked eyes. The inexperienced sailor’s mouth gaped open in an expression strikingly similar to the fish flopping about the deck.

 

 

“What are you doing standing here? The captain ordered us below deck, there’s nothing we can do to stop the fish we’ve caught from going overboard. Unless you would like to join them!” The young man screamed as he approached, trying to be heard over the chaos.

 

“I don’t care about the fish!” Chanyeol shouted back. He struggled to keep his hold on the railing as the vessel was knocked about by the waves slamming on either side of the hull, “The anchor! We need to drop anchor if we’re going to survive this storm.”

 

The first mate stumbled into the railing next to Chanyeol, “Captain says that taking us back to port is safer.”

 

“He’s insane!” Chanyeol repeated as a particularly large wave caused the vessel to roll onto its side, nearly capsizing before whipping back to its other side in one dizzying instant. He felt his grip on the railing slip as something plowed into his chest with enough force to knock him off his feet. 

 

“Man overboard!”

 

* * *

 

Chanyeol hit the water in the blink of an eye. The cold black waves swallowed him up for several terrifying moments before his head broke the surface. Gagging on saltwater, he managed to catch a glimpse of the first mate leaning over the railing, eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he screamed something unintelligible at him. Terror wrapped its icy hands around Chanyeol’s throat. The distance between him and the vessel was growing greater with each roll of the ocean but he forced himself to stay calm, tearing his eyes away from it. He knew no one on it had the means to save him. Instead, he searched through the dark for any floating debris he might be able to use to keep afloat. A cooler, now empty of the day’s catch, caught his attention. A spark of hope bloomed in his chest and he swam toward it, gulping down what seemed to be gallons of salty water as waves crashed over his head. However, the moment he reached out to take hold of the cooler, he felt a force suddenly pull him downward under the surface. Terror once again took hold of him. He kicked his feet in a frenzied manner, frantically trying to reach the surface for air. He could see the underside of the cooler, right above his head. If only he could muster enough strength to reach it. However, the force was unrelenting and continued to pull him further and further into the abysmal darkness until he could no longer hold his breath. The last of his precious air escaped through his lips just as he felt the force let go.

 

 _‘The moon is out,’_ Chanyeol thought as he caught sight of a soft glow far above him. His movements calmed as a sense of serenity passed through his struggling body, _‘The storm must be over…’_

 

As his mind began to drift away, head pounding and vision fading, he swore he saw the soft glow of the moon grow larger and take the shape of a beautiful face looking down at him. 

 

_‘An angel…’_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is trouble at Jongdae's bar and Baekhyun is haunted by his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Fantastic racism and semi-graphic violence.

# Out of His Depth, Over His Head

* * *

### Out of His Depth

 

 It started out like any normal night. The bar was once again brimming with patrons and Jongdae and Baekhyun once again had their hands full. 

 

“I’m serious, guys, I’m here if you need me,” Joonmyeon offered, drumming his fingers on the bartop as he watched the two bustling around behind it. He was one of their most frequent visitors and fond of both of them. Baekhyun shot Joonmyeon a grateful smile. 

 

“It’s okay, hyung. We can manage. Besides, I’m sure you’re tired after the meeting with the other village heads.” 

 

Joonmyeon hummed in agreement. The meeting had been tiring but it had gone well. The group of villages surrounding Jongdae’s quiant little bar had not too long ago made a coalition to protect themselves from the invasion of larger kingdoms. In order to keep the peace, they decided that the village heads were to meet every several months to retain good relations. As the head of his respective village, who’s population consisted almost entirely of vampires, Joonmyeon was obligated to participate. He was just glad the majority of races in the other villages were also nocturnal as he wasn’t all that fond of sunlight. 

 

“By the way, Baekhyun. Yixing was wondering if you’d teach him how to swim. Can you believe it? The man can heal a gaping hole in your chest but hasn’t even learned some of the most basic life skills,” Joonmyeon laughed, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

 

“Honestly, hyung, I think he’s just coming up with excuses to hang out with his crush,” Jongdae said wiggling his eyebrows. Baekhyun punched Jongdae in the arm, his face flushed with embarrassment. He shuffled away as the other two whispered to each other conspiratorially.

 

“Get back to work, Jongdae,” Baekhyun shot over his shoulder, awkwardly balancing a couple of pint glasses between his hands. Suddenly, a large man bumped into Baekhyun and he stumbled, falling to the floor with a loud crash as the glasses broke. Joonmyeon jumped up from his stool, rushing to his younger friend’s aid.

 

“Watch it, you filthy creature!” The man sneered, glowering down at Baekhyun with disdain. He was a human and a hunter if his bow and quiver were anything to go by. He had just entered the bar, apparently ignoring the ‘NO HUMANS’ sign on the door. Jongdae rushed out from behind the bar, stepping between his friend and the angry hunter. 

 

“Please don’t make any trouble, sir.” Jongdae said icily as he heard Joonmyeon help Baekhyun slowly to his feet. He kept his eyes on the man as he addressed his friend. “Baekhyun, I’ll take care of the mess. Go take a break.”

 

The hunter ignored him in favor of watching Baekhyun disappear out the back door. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the telltale shimmer of scales on the back of Baekhyun’s neck. Once the object of his contempt was out of sight, he turned back to Jongdae, his lips pursed. 

 

“Merfolk should be kept in a cage, not allowed to run free. That’s a lot of gold you’re missing out on just keeping it as a servant. How about I take it off your hands for you?” 

 

Jongdae felt a jolt of anger. Baekhyun was not his servant and he certainly wasn’t going to sell his friend just for some extra gold. This hunter had to be either brave or stupid, he was willing to bet the latter, to come into his bar and be so openly hostile toward magical beings. He forced himself to calm down as he felt Joonmyeon sidle up behind him. The vampire’s presence was reassuring.

 

“Get out. We don’t serve your kind here.” 

 

“What ‘kind’ would that be? You don’t fool me. You’re human, the same as me. What are you doing associating yourself with lesser creatures?” The hunter took a threatening step closer. Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped. Knowing not to get in the way, Jongdae stepped aside in deference for Joonmyeon. The other patrons sunk lower in their seats not wanting to witness the wrath of the angry vampire. 

 

“He said get out. Don’t make him repeat himself.”

 

* * *

 

Jongdae closed the door behind himself, shivering in the cool night air. He took in the sight of his best friend sitting several feet away on the ground, his hands absentmindedly ripping grass out one blade at a time.

 

“Hey, it’s been an hour. Joonmyeon hyung helped me close early after he chased the guy away. You should’ve seen it. The guy tried to stare him down but ended up backing off after hyung showed him his fangs. It was damn funny seeing a tough hunter afraid of such a pretty looking vampire like hyung…” Jongdae trailed off, unsure of what else to say. He and Baekhyun had been running this bar together for a few years now, ever since Jongdae had found him broken and dying on the side of the road. They were very close but Jongdae still had trouble finding what to say in situations like this. As a free human, he couldn’t fully understand the pain Baekhyun and other magical beings had gone through at the hands of his race. Instead he waited, giving him space but not wanting to leave him out in the dark alone. It was several long minutes before Baekhyun stood up and turned to him, head down and hair in his face. Jongdae held his arms open, wrapping them around Baekhyun when he approached.

 

“C’mon, let’s go inside.” 

 

* * *

 

_Baekhyun twisted and turned, unknowingly trapping himself more securely in his desperation to be free from the net. Dread seeped into his very core as he felt it ascending through the depths of the water. The thought of what was going to happen to him stilled his movements. He couldn’t be captured now, not after being warned of the dangers of swimming too close to human civilization. He should’ve listened to the elders. The need to put his curious mind to rest was no reason to justify going so close to a human’s ship. He could only hope they would be so kind as to welcome him back. That is, if he ever escaped the cruel fate that would be dealt to him at the hands of the humans. Breaking the surface of the water he let out a sharp cry of pain as, for the first time in his life, his caudal fin separated into legs. He hit the deck with a loud thud, shock from the impact shooting through his body like a bolt of electricity._

 

_“Untangle it.”_

 

_The sharp command came from somewhere above him, the owner’s voice searing through Baekhyun’s mind like heated steel. It sent shivers down his spine. Several human men approached him with glinting objects in their hands. One of them brandished his in Baekhyun’s face. The sailor’s mouth twisted into an amused sneer as Baekhyun flinched violently away. A moment later he was free from the net and left to lay on the deck, his breathing labored as his body tried to get used to inhaling and exhaling like a land creature. He watched in a daze as one of the men standing around him crouched down with a wicked smile on his face._

 

_“Feast your eyes, men. This here is a member of the merfolk race, one of the most beautiful creatures men’s eyes have had the pleasure to see. This one is male, the more elusive gender of the species…” The man trailed off as he moved to caress the soft shimmering skin of Baekhyun’s side, his rough hand trailing down to follow the cluster of iridescent scales that wrapped around from his hip to his inner thigh. His hand was smoldering hot, like the sun scorching his sensitive skin. The man’s burning touch awakened Baekhyun from his stupor and he scrambled to his feet in a sudden burst of strength. He ran away from the group of humans on unsteady legs as he heard an angry shout. Heavy footsteps clunked down on the wooden deck close behind him. He payed no heed to it, intent on hoisting himself up on the side of the ship and overboard to safety. Suddenly a hand grabbed him from behind by the hair, yanking him back and forcefully throwing him on the deck. Baekhyun bit his tongue as his head slammed down on the hard wood and his vision went black for a moment. He felt blood trickle out of the corner of his mouth, the coppery taste of it made his stomach churn._

 

_“Hold it down.”_

 

_Baekhyun startled as hands grabbed him first by his arms, his legs and lastly his throat. He struggled against the hands restraining him but what little energy he had left him. He stilled, mouth gaping open and chest heaving with exertion as his lungs sought the oxygen they needed. A dry chuckle sounded from somewhere beside him and the hand gripping his throat tightened enough to make drawing a breath difficult._

 

_“Shh… Be still, little mermaid, or this might hurt more than it has to.”_

 

 _Lightheaded, Baekhyun’s vision swam and he shut his eyes, unable to comprehend the man’s words. An odd smell permeated the air, one that Baekhyun was unfamiliar with. A crackling noise accompanied the smell and for a few long minutes nothing happened. It made him uneasy. The feeling grew as heavy footsteps approached him, the vibrations_ _caused by them in the deck sending shivers through his body. He opened his eyes. The man was standing above him. His lips curled into a sadistic smile as he brought something into Baekhyun’s line of vision. It was a metal bar, the end of it closest to him was glowing red, warped and curled into a strange design. Fear and confusion twisted a knot in Baekhyun’s stomach as the man laughed at the bemused look on his face._

 

_“You don’t know what this is, do you? This is a branding iron. We use these to burn symbols into inferior creatures to make sure everyone knows who owns you,” The man said, eyes glinting hungrily._ _He brought it closer to Baekhyun, the glowing end mere inches away from his abdomen. Baekhyun’s eyes widened as he felt the intense heat radiating from the object. Realization dawned on him. What he had been hearing and smelling was fire, a land element particularly used by humans to heat things up to dangerous temperatures and wielded by them to aid in warfare. Terrified, he tried arching away from the red-hot metal but the man holding him by the neck pushed him back, steadying him in place with an unrelenting grip. A moment later, the metal was being pressed into his side, making an abhorrent sizzling noise as it burned the symbol into his once unmarred skin. Baekhyun’s anguished screams were drowned out by the ruthless laughter of the men around him. After Baekhyun had screamed himself hoarse, the branding iron was removed, leaving the symbol burned into his flesh, the skin around it red and raised. His pain fogged mind was unable to register the men letting go of him and the cruel man squatting beside him until his head was yanked up by his hair. He choked on a sob as he was forced to look down at the brand on his body._

 

_“You see this? This means you’re nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold. You belong to me now.”_

  

Baekhyun awoke with a start, his hands scrabbling around his midsection searching for the symbol that stood out, raised and ugly against his skin. Instead he found it smooth, the scar that used to haunt him was now healed and gone. Yixing had healed it giving him freedom from his former master. Unfortunately, it did nothing to free him from the lingering memories of his captivity. Rising from his bed, he ventured out into the hallway, the chilly night air cutting through his thin robe. He wrapped his arms around himself to preserve some of his body heat as he made his way quietly to the door opposite of his. He slowly opened it, peeking through once the crack was big enough. The obnoxious snoring coming from the man inside was enough to tell Baekhyun that he hadn’t been awoken by the sounds of his nightmare. A tiny smile graced Baekhyun’s lips, it was a little funny how Jongdae could rest peacefully unbothered by the cold or any noises made by his permanent houseguest. His deep sleep was even disturbed by the full moon shining through the window directly onto his face. With a huff of silent laughter, Baekhyun closed the door as quietly as he could and padded down the stairs, making his way outside.

 

* * *

 

Baekhyun stared down at the glassy surface of the lake, his reflection illuminated by the moon. He reached a hand to his neck, watching with haunted eyes as his reflection did the same. Memories of a hand wrapped around his throat floated to the surface of his mind and his fingers traced the phantom outline of the bruising that was always present when he was in captivity. His eyes followed his hand as he dragged his fingernails over the cluster of iridescent scales that trailed from his neck and over his collarbone to his left shoulder. Scales. Merfolk scales. To his race they were merely camouflage to keep them safe from large predators while roaming the ocean. To the humans and a few of the other ‘civilized’ land races, Merfolk scales were a commodity to be harvested and used in the crowns that their kingdom’s rulers wore proudly, ignorant of the amount of blood spilled to create them. The scales discarded by the crown makers for being ‘imperfect’ would be used in jewelry only the most rich and noble people could afford. His gaze left his reflection as he quickly dropped his hand, the slight sting his nails left behind had startled him out of his thoughts, a lingering feeling of shame burning in his chest.

 

_“…you’re nothing more than a commodity to be bought and sold.”_

 

Heaving a sigh that materialized as a puff of white mist past his lips, Baekhyun undid the sash holding his robe together and let the clothing slip to the ground, leaving his body exposed to the frigid night air. Without a moment of hesitation, he dove into the lake, breaking the still reflection of the moon but not the silence in the air. The cool water calmed him as he breathed it in, chasing away the lingering memories of his past. Cutting through the water, he swam as fast as he could, intending to go on and on until he tired himself out. He only stopped when he noticed something unusual. Before his eyes, the water seemed to pull into itself, almost as if it was shrinking, before suddenly expanding and sending a shockwave through the lake. Baekhyun rolled backward with the wave, too surprised to make any noise as a man, a _human_ man seemed to appear at the bottom of the lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little introduction to Baekhyun's world and his past before we really get started with the fun stuff. Thank you to those who left kudos and commented, it's very much appreciated. Any questions about the world or the magical beings in it is welcome~


End file.
